Script Dragon
by Redfoxism
Summary: In the darkness of his soul, she found something that is worth loving. In the brightness of her mind, he found another side that is worth saving. - post Grand Magic Games arc, Gajevy
1. A Night Worth Remembering

**Warning: This might contain spoilers.**

**AN:** This one-shot fanfic is set on the inter/after events of "Faeries' Punishment Games" which is a special chapter of Fairy Tail canon that took place right after the Magic Games arc. I was wondering what happened when Levy rushed out of the guild and Gajeel chased after her. So, now, here's the result of that thought. I may or may not weave another possibility based on this. Who knows? Some things are better unplanned. Unpredictability has its beauty.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of the story and characters. Fairy Tail and everything in it belongs to Hiro Mashima.

* * *

**SCRIPT DRAGON**

**CHAPTER 1: A Night Worth Remembering**

* * *

Clenched fists. Rigid shoulders. Swollen eyes. Rushed steps. This is stupid. Incredibly stupid.

Who else, besides her, in this whacked up Earthland storms out of a guild hall, bawling, just because of insecurity over chest size? It's embarrassing to admit but she can't think of anybody else. She's supposed to be that kind of girl who doesn't care much about curvatures, wasn't she? She's the book-smart, spell-wise, script mage Levy McGarden. She's the epitome of that perky intelligence. And for that matter, it's absolutely ridiculous of her to be crying over stuff as trivial as this.

But still, she does. The stinging sensation on her eyes is enough evidence. And it's not even Lucy's fault—definitely not. Her best friend knows nothing of her current predicament nor is she to blame for being endowed with right sized breasts. Likewise, it would be unfair to put the blame on that metal-studded jerk, though if Levy puts more thought on it, he's the main reason for her embarrassing stunt on stage.

A sudden chill runs through her spine at the thought of him. Gajeel Redfox. Back then, she'll know that chill as paralyzing fear. Right now, it's a different kind of paralysis. There's panic alright, but then, there's also warm excitement. And whether she admits it or not, it feels good.

Stupid.

Levy halts her steps and wipes her scrunched up face with her arms. Looking around, she wonders how long she had been fast-walking. She's standing directly under the large tree at the South Entrance of Magnolia Park. This park can't be reached with five-minute leisure stroll from the Fairy Tail guild hall. Realizing that, Levy suddenly feels tired and resolves on sitting under the tree. The ground's cold and her skimpy bunny outfit barely covers her but she's too upset to mind.

It's been a tiring night, physically and emotionally. Does Gajeel even know how crazy she's been going because of him? Maybe not. He might have changed from being that sadistic Black Steel from Phantom Lord to the much righteous and companionable Fairy Tail mage but that doesn't make him more sensitive to people's emotions, much less to hers.

She tries hard to hide it anyway. It's not that easy considering he's the same guy who beat her and her friends senseless and pinned them on this very tree after branding her torso with Phantom Lord's symbol.

Despicable acts of cruelty. And yet, here she is, slowly falling for the same man who hurt her. Yeah, she's freaking stupid.

But Gajeel's also the same guy who saved her from getting hit by Laxus' lightning bolts. And he did it twice. He's the same guy who readily volunteered to be her partner during the S-Class Mage exams, promising to make her big. He's the same guy who told her that it's hard finding someone as small as her so she should never leave his side when they were attacked by the Grimoire Heart. He's the same guy who held her hand before Tenrou Island was hit by Acnologia's roar. He's the same guy who awkwardly danced with her after their return to Magnolia.

Sure, Gajeel's mostly an inconsiderate ass, prone to annoyance especially everytime he bickers with fellow dragon-slayer Natsu over callow things. But despite of his rough edges, he won her attention. She learned to care for him. She learned to forgive him for his past wrongdoings against Fairy Tail.

Levy thinks he deserves it. Because underneath that cold bad guy-esque he shows, he's not all that terrible. There's a side of him that cares, that's capable of love and being loved.

A rustle behind the tree snaps Levy out of her thoughts and before she can stand up from the ground, a white coat drapes over her bare shoulders. A familiar scent of something metallic yet spicy invades her nose. She looks up and meets the unreadable stare of the iron-dragon slayer. Gajeel doesn't say anything though. After securing the coat on her, he stands up and starts walking away with his hands on his pockets.

Did he follow her here?

Levy's face burn in embarrassment as she realizes she's wearing his coat. She notices he's still sporting the rest of his silly white get-up, even the hat. Thankfully, he ditched the glasses.

"Uhh...Gajeel..." Her hand slightly raised, Levy calls out to him.

Gajeel stops walking but doesn't look back to her. When he didn't say anything again, Levy musters up her courage to speak.

"Thanks but...what are you doing here?"

Gajeel makes a noise somewhere between a snort and a grumble. His voice, deep and hard, resonates through the silence of the park. "Beats me. I should ask ya' the same."

"I'm just thinking. About...stuff," she replies shyly.

"Well, get it over with. Yer fanboys will be all over my face if I don't bring you back soon."

Levy frowns at the way he mentioned Jet and Droy. "Please don't call them that," she says almost sternly.

Jet and Droy might be a little smothering but they're her teammates. Her friends. They're the ones who she can rely on almost anything.

Gajeel looks back at her, sporting that annoyingly sexy smirk only he can master the effect on her. "Whatever," he says and strides off.

Levy sighs in exasperation.

"Yo, shrimp. You coming or what? Let's get you home," he calls to her.

Her eyes thin out at his razz. She decides to decline.

"No, thanks. I think I'll stay here for a while. Take your coat and go back. I'm not cold."

The idea of him walking her back to Fairy Hills is charming but somehow, a bit of stubbornness has crept into her. No way she'll let him dominate her emotion again tonight. She had enough to last a lifetime.

"Yeah, right. Not cold, you say. Your lips are almost the same shade as your hair," he says.

"I said I'm not cold. Just leave me alone, Gajeel." She takes off his coat.

Grinning, Gajeel walks back to her and ruffles her hair the way he always do whenever he mocks her. The bunny headband on her head moves out of place at the gesture. Levy sighs again in frustration.

"Wanna argue on that, squirt?" He bends down close to her face. Levy tries to control the blush and hopes its dark enough so he won't notice anything.

"My name's Levy and I said I'm not leaving here."

Gajeel squints. "Let's go. If you ain't going home, at least go back to the guild."

"If you want to go, just go. You don't have to bother about me."

Gajeel scoffs. His breath smells like mint. "Look. There's no way I'm leaving you here. If you don't want to go home, fine. But at least find a better place to hang out."

"Why? What's wrong with this park?" she asks absent-mindedly but stops when Gajeel's expression changes from playful to something indescribable. What is it? Remorse?

"What?" she asks rather ignorantly. Gajeel straightens up and looks past her. Levy follows his gaze and sees the large tree behind her. The very tree where he nailed her, Jet and Droy, crucifixion style.

Levy looks back to him. His face is dark with emotion. His pierced eyebrows are drawn towards each other with his upturned mouth forming a frown.

"Ain't you unnerved? Not even a little?" he asks, almost accusingly.

And she realizes, after all this time, after everything they went through, after all the things he did for the guild, those weren't enough for him to forgive himself. He'll always have that weight on his shoulders. He'll always look back and see shadows of his past.

Levy casts down her eyes. "That was a long time ago, Gajeel..." she says softly. "I already forgave you. All of us did."

He stares at her like what she said was the most confusing thing he ever heard.

"Like you didn't know that," Levy adds meeting his gaze. Those eyes. They rarely show confusion. The crimson irises always exude an aura of confidence and smugness with hints of boiling temper.

"You're all nuts, did'ya know that?" he remarks.

She shakes her head. "Yeah, right. Forgive someone and be called crazy. What else?"

Gajeel shrugs. "Fairy Tail's one crazy guild anyway."

"That coming from one if the craziest member there is."

The wide grin creeps back to his face though the indications of doubt didn't really leave his eyes. He takes the coat from her hands and puts it onto her again. The metallic spicy scent reaches her nose again. She likes his smell. Somehow, she had associated it with a mixture of trouble and security. Fun and protection.

"Don't take that off 'til we reach the guild," he tells her and when he begins to walk away again, Levy follows behind him albeit her earlier decision that she'll stay.

She struggles to keep up with his pace as they tread the way back to the guild. It'll be a long walk but it might be worth the effort. She feels silly. They're just walking. They're not even touching but she feels somewhat happy. It's very tempting to show extra hints of her hopeless crush on him but she holds back. This isn't the time, she decides. Anyway, they'll be back to the guild and she has to concoct some kind of explanation to Lucy and everyone else why she cried and ran away.

A smile plays on her lips as she remembers the ridiculous performance they did tonight. Gajeel has a penchant for singing and playing guitar onstage, sometimes stealing Mirajane's spot, though it's quite apparent he's terrible at it. What's funny is his resilience extends to their guildmates' constant booing and thrash-throwing whenever he performs.

"What's with the creepy smile?" he asks and Levy immediately wipes her face off it.

"Huh? Nothing. I just remembered something."

"What is it?" he asks suspiciously.

She racks her brain for an answer and comes up with one. "Oh, just the Magic Games at Crocus. Fairy Tail did great. I'm just happy for everyone. We did our best, didn't we?"

"Yeah, the best." He nods mournfully. "You cheered loudly; I could hear you from the arena."

Blooms of shame rises up to her face. "I was cheering for everyone," she says defensively.

"I heard you yelling my name during my fight with that shadow dragon slayer."

"I-I...of course, we're all worried..." Levy feels lame but she can't let him one up her on this one. It's obvious he's teasing her anyway. "Don't be too full of yourself, Gajeel Redfox."

Gajeel smirks, baring his fangs. "Whatever you say, shortstuff. What were you doing at the park anyway?"

Her back stiffens at the question. He's not gonna ask why she ran, is he?

"I told you. I was thinking." No way she'll tell him she's becoming more and more self-conscious because of his presence. Too shallow for her taste.

Gajeel doesn't answer. They just keep on walking, steps clanking on the Magnolia pavement. Levy thinks he might have fallen bored over her company and starts to cower in disappointment. But after a long pause, she hears him speak again.

"You gotta keep that low confidence in check, ya' know," he says in a dead serious tone that she stops walking in shock.

"W-What are you...?" she asks, startled.

"You know what I'm talking about. Since I joined the guild, you've been whining how weak you think you are." All of the sudden, it's not about her chest anymore. He saw through her. Deep, deep down, her insecurities are more than just physical. And somehow, he noticed it.

Levy bites her lower lip and sighs. "Easy for you to say." She looks away while Gajeel waits for her to continue in silence.

"You're a dragon slayer," she adds. "You possess the magic that's meant to kill dragons. And me, what can I do? I read books. I interpret old languages. I write runes. That's nothing compared to you."

Gajeel strokes his pierced chin and stares intently at her. "Look, shorty. I ain't good with words but what I know is it was you who found a way to let Salamander and I out of that green-haired lackey's runes. What happened if we didn't? Ya don't want to know either, I'm sure. Not everything goes down to combat skills."

She can still remember that. Fried's runes were never easy to dispel and Gajeel's right for telling her that if she didn't found a way to get through it, that might be the end of Fairy Tail.

"B-But..."

"You're a script mage," Gajeel continues, cutting off her protests. "You can create almost anything out of thin air. You can create fire, fucking boulders, water, even that silly iron. If that's nothing fer you, ask yourself then, why did you become a candidate for S-Class then?"

Her eyes begin to water. Hearing those words coming from the man she secretly adores, she must be dreaming.

"Yer strong. Yer smart. Yer pretty..." Gajeel hesitates then adds. "...amazing. You get that, shorty? Maybe, yer size can't compensate for how much worth you are inside but honestly, get it over with."

Levy's mouth twitches with a lopsided smile. She's too happy to mind his banter anyway.

"So much for the encouragement. You're such an ass, you know that? And my name is Levy. Quit calling me names," she says while wiping her tears away.

He scoffs. "I didn't mean it as an insult."

"What then? An endearment?" she snaps at him. When Gajeel doesn't answer, Levy gapes at him in disbelief. Is he kidding?

But his expression says otherwise. He doesn't look like he wants to delve into the topic deeper though. And Levy's too surprised to ask more about it. She contents herself with the idea that 'shrimp', 'shortstuff', 'squirt' and 'shorty' are really his endearments of sorts. Somehow, it make her feel more special in addition to his declaration of belief on her abilities.

They continue the walk in silence. Not long thereafter, they reached the front yard of their newly rebuilt guild. Inside, loud laughter erupt every now and then, with Natsu's voice the loudest. Both Levy and Gajeel stop outside the door.

"Ya better go in," he says. Because it'll be weird to see them walk in together, a pierced guy in white tux and a messed up girl in bunny outfit. That'll spell awkward.

Levy hesitates but nods. "Yeah." She takes off his coat and hands it to him which he accepts wordlessly.

She turns to the door but before she pushes it open, she gathers her guts and faces Gajeel again. She then throws herself into his body, earning a suprised 'O-Oye, Levy!' from him. Endearment or not, it's good to hear her name from him.

She wraps her arms on his midsection and rests her head on his chest. Her hands clutches tightly on the fabric on his back with few strands of his long hair entangled with her fingers. She can hear his uneven breathing and the hesitation of his arms on both sides.

"Thank you, Gajeel. For everything," she murmurs and finally lets go of him.

Judging by his awkward expression, he's still shocked by her gesture. Obviously, he's not the hugging type. Feeling extra brave now, Levy stands on tiptoes and plants a small kiss on his cheek. It lands on his jaw though. Freaking height difference.

Levy turns away from him without waiting for reaction and heads for the door, pushing them open. Light pours out on the pavement. Several of her guildmates calls her name, asking where she had been. Jet and Droy rush to her side asking if she's okay and informing her that Lucy was chained by Mirajane at the backstage. A beat-up Erza in a maid outfit is crouching under Mira's legs. Elsewhere, she can hear Juvia forcing Gray to drink some water. Laxus continuously orders Natsu and Elfman around while his Raijinshuu gawks at the scene. The three Exceeds aren't around, as well as Cana and Wendy. The rest were on the drink-binge with the Master who loudly yells for everyone to drink till they drop.

Levy smiles at the beautiful chaos around her. This is Fairy Tail they all know and love. Gajeel's right. This is one crazy guild after all.

* * *

Outside the guild, a lone shadow stands while looking up at the starless sky. He absent-mindedly stroked the skin of his jaw where Levy McGarden lips landed. It caught him off guard. He knew she tends to have outbursts, just like when she smacked him with her purse back at Tenrou Island, but he didn't expect her to be this bold.

Stupid girl. She should've known how that'll affect him. When she hugged him, he instinctively closed his eyes to savor the scent of her hair. Peppermint and a mixture of old paper and ink. Now, the memory of it clings stubbornly to his senses. He feels like he's on the verge of being crazy, with emphasis on the desire to take her home and hold her in his arms in his sleep.

If only things weren't as complicated as they are...

Smirking to himself, the dragon slayer allows a moment for him to feel the elation that little bookworm caused. It's out of character for him. He's the terrifying iron-dragon slayer Gajeel Redfox. He's ruthless. He's cold. He's anything but romantic nor compassionate.

After Metalicana left him, he never planned to warm up to anyone else ever again. That is to avoid the pain of being left alone at the end. Having your dragon-parent abandon you was enough as it is. Even when that vow broke when Pantherlily came, Gajeel did not expect it to be broken for the second time around. And this time, for someone he didn't expect to be. But then, who says plans work out these days? Ever since he joined Fairy Tail, his life's been inclined to unpredictability.

So far, it's been good. Sure, there are few close calls but who cares? It's been one hell of a ride and he's looking forward for more. And the best thing out of everything? That midget blue-haired script mage who just gave him a night worth remembering.

"Crazy, ain't we?" he says while looking up to the sky.


	2. Memory Lane

**AN:** I've decided to keep this going, yay! Much thanks to those who followed this story. I really appreciate it since I'm new here. On the other hand, forgive my blatant backstory peppering. There's a bit more of it in this chapter as well. I just really want to set the mood first and to do that, I have to explore their respective pasts. There ya' go. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima. No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

**SCRIPT DRAGON**

**CHAPTER 2: Memory Lane**

* * *

He doesn't even know what came to him. He just keeps on walking with his feet taking control of his whole system. Like it has a mind of its own. It's been a crazy night all right but as far as he could remember, he's not that absurd to take a walk on memory lane as if it's the most natural thing ever.

He should get his head checked. The events at the games must've injured his brain or something. How else could he explain why he's now on his way back to the park, kicking stones along the way and passing by the same streets they took just a while ago? Fucking lame.

But that's nothing compared to the unshakable urge to retrace where and when did he begin going crazy about the bookworm. Really out of his fucking character.

Nonetheless, Gajeel can't help but grin as flashes of memories about her flood his mind. Everything about her is vividly etched in his head. He clearly recalls of her soft hair brushing against his nose. And her scent. Most women he encountered smell like fruits or flowers—even that armored Titania reeks with strawberries—but Levy seems to opt for mild minty scent that melds with the traces of ink and dusty paper.

And her eyes. It's a set of hazel orbs. Full of innocence. Full of wonder. Full of life. He'll never forget how he once filled those eyes with dread.

Back to the day when Master Makarov introduced him as the newest member of Fairy Tail, he couldn't care less if Levy cowers at the sight of him. He's the Kurogane. He's used to being feared. And it would be hypocritical if he says he never enjoyed it. He only cares for the job, he told those annoying fairies. It's stupid but he felt he needed to at least protect his pride. He just couldn't admit that that cold stubborness was rooting with guilt all along.

The high and mighty Gajeel Redfox was riddled with guilt. Fucking understatement of the year. How couldn't he? That old geezer's trust burrowed in his iron hide. The begrudging acceptance of the whole guild daunted the hardness of his heart. For once, he found a place where he can fit in without flaunting the power he possesses. That is why he didn't fought back when Levy's fanboys tried to get back at him. The same reason why he took the lightning bolt that was meant to hit her. It was all for the need to repay his misdeeds on her and her friends. To be fully accepted by the family he once hurt, he had to pay the price.

And it was worth it.

What he didn't expect is that somewhere along the way, the little script mage will genuinely catch his attention. It made him panic, of course, knowing how stupid the mere idea of it was. Their history speaks in so much volume of how he doesn't deserve to even think about it. He wanted to stay away but he's somewhat drawn to her, as if she's made of magnet that's pulling his iron towards her.

When he stepped right up to be her partner during S-Class exams, he reasoned to himself that it's all about the frustration on not being chosen as a candidate. Like that even mattered because no matter where he look at, it is him who offered his help. It is him who wanted to be the one to protect her, to be the one to stay at her side, to be the one to see her move up to S-Class.

It's true that he constantly demeans her and calls her names but those are meant to challenge her. To strengthen her. He always believed she's capable of something great. He'll never target her team at the very beginning if he saw them as nothing but puny mages anyway. He's a dragon slayer after all. He won't waste time over weaklings. His purpose may have altered from malevolent to supportive but the way he saw her abilities never changed. She's strong. She's smart. She's pretty...amazing.

Shit. This just became hardcore lame.

Stuffing both of his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't smack his own face, Gajeel continues to walk towards the park. Right up ahead is the huge tree near the entrance. Reaching the looming shadow under the pale moonlight, he pauses and looks up right to the spot where he pinned her. He remembers that day like fleeting nightmarish images. She was unconscious. Bruised and bleeding. Torn and tattered. Her boys weren't looking any better.

How on Earthland did they manage to trust him? Must be idiocy but that's just how those fairies are. Levy assured him he's off the hook but if he's to be honest, he don't even know when will be the time he'll fully accept that it's all in the past...

For full five minutes, he just stands there, staring at the tree. Not that it'll give him answers nor peace of mind. He just doesn't know what else to do. There's nothing left to do.

Gajeel lets out a mournful sigh and walks away. He should get back. It's past midnight anyway. The cold autumn air blows and a familiar feline scent invades his nose. Gajeel smirks. Pantherlily.

Looking up, he sees the black cat in its full winged form carrying Happy and Carla. Both Exceed are down with even breaths.

"What did ya do? Beat them up or something?" he asks the anthropomorphic cat as he walks out of the park to the paved Magnolia road. Lily hovers beside him.

"I'm not like you. I don't assault cats," the Exceed replies in a deep grumbling voice. "What 'bout you, have you punished everyone with your bad singing already?"

"Since when ya turned all sassy?"

Lily grins good-naturedly, then sniffs. A lopsided grin appears on his face. "Hmm. I didn't quite expect that turnout. Where's Levy?"

Gajeel shoots him a sharp look. "Whatchya talking about, cat?"

"That's alright. I'll pretend I can't smell her from your clothes. Also, I'll pretend that I didn't see you visiting that tree."

His pierced eyebrows draw together. "Yer damn too nosy fer yer own good. 'Was just strolling 'round."

Still smirking, Lily nods considerably, obviously unconvinced by the slayer's alibi.

Gajeel snorts. "Tch. Don't get the wrong conclusions there. It was her who hugged me," he blurts out, much to his chagrin as a surprised grin appears on Lily's face. "Not that it means anything—"

"Heeey….no need to be defensive." Lily cuts him off.

"I ain't—"

The cat chuckles. "You're an idiot sometimes."

"Ya picking a fight, Lily?"

The cat just laughs again, mimicking Gajeel's 'Gi-hi-hi' trademark. The dragon slayer shakes his head in annoyance. He turns to the road that leads to the apartment he and Lily shared.

"I'm gonna hit the sack. Ya better take those cats back at the guild," he says as he leaves the cat behind the crossroads.

"Getting all evasive, are we?" Unfortunately, Lily's not gonna let the topic drop. Gajeel looks back to the still flying Exceed.

"Damn it. Yer a nosy cat."

"Come on. There's no use acting like you have no freaking idea. You know what I'm talking about."

Glancing at the Happy and Carla, Gajeel makes sure they're really out first before telling Lily, "What d'ya want me to do? Act like a pansy all because I'm into a woman? That shit won't suit me. You know that."

Lily raised a bemused eyebrow. "You really got some idiotic impressions about relationships, do you?"

"Blame it to Juvia and that ice creep."

"Hah. I can't believe you don't have any other reference than those two."

"If you can give me any other sissy pair to compare to, be my guest."

"You know she likes you," the Exceed declares, ignoring Gajeel's attempt to steer the topic away from the script mage.

"Who? Juvia? Of course not," he retorts.

"I can't tell if you're kidding or just desperate to ditch this conversation."

"Just give it a rest, will ya?"

"Levy likes you whether you acknowledge it or not."

Shit. There. The cat just announced it. An uncomfortable frown creeps up to Gajeel's face. Lily said it as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. That's what he's afraid of. To be blatantly vulnerably obvious.

"We don't even know that."

"Ask Mira for the latest poll, I'm sure, it'll say otherwise."

Gajeel scoffs. "What poll—" then his crimson eyes widen "—damn it! There's a poll about Shorty and me? How the fuck did I missed that!"

"Well, you've been busy throwing insults to Levy every five minutes; you'll definitely miss anything out." Lily shrugs.

"Why didn't ya tell me, ya traitor?"

"I'm telling you now, ain't I? Besides, I just found it out recently. I pitched in a couple of jewels, just so you know."

"Bastard. Bettin' on my risk?"

"What risk? You're messed up, Gajeel." The cat chuckles then adds, "Think about it this way. If you pushed on it, you'll get the girl, I'll get the money. It's a win-win."

"Idiot. I ain't gonna ask her out all because of a stupid bet."

"I know you won't. She's too damn special to be betted on in the first place." The smile on Lily's face shows triumph, much to Gajeel's confusion because last time he checked he never admitted anything yet. Or did he? Fuck it.

"Backstabbing cat! Yer sleeping in the couch tonight." Gajeel storms out on Lily whose laughter rings out behind him. Is there anything lamer than this? He feels like a total shithead.

Lily's technically pushing him to pursue a relationship with that midget bookworm. And even those stupid fairies are into it. Idiots. They're anything but logical. Are they that nuts to trust him with their comrade? Have they forgotten how he almost killed her?

He better get home, try to get some sleep, maybe clear his head. Tomorrow, he'll try to be more apathetic. It's not that too late to push her away anyway. It's not a deal of what he wants or what he fucking feels. He's a bad news. She deserves better. He'll make sure she realizes that.

Reaching the front door of his apartment, an abnormally triggered chill snaps his attention towards a dark alleyway across the street. Gajeel turns sharply to the direction, his iron club ready for battle. It was eeriely silent, even the crickets went on full AWOL. He sniffs the bitter air and almost choked on the malice it exudes. He knows this sensation. He'll know it anywhere. It haunted him for months right after he joined Fairy Tail.

And the chill's gone. Everything goes back to normal as well as the chirping insects. All that's left is the lingering traces of villainous magic around the block.

Gajeel grits his fangs in a mixture of confusion and frustration. He's not mistaken, is he? It couldn't be him. Shit. It's definitely him. And somehow, Gajeel suspects worst might be coming. He'll have to inform the master as soon as possible. Fairy Tail might be in danger again.

He thinks of Levy. He has to keep her safe. He'll do anything to protect her from harm. Even from himself.


	3. Mission Hunt

**AN: **It's amazing to find people who actually gave feedbacks. Thank you, guys! You're all awesome! \m/

Anyway, updates are taking too long than planned. I keep mixing up my headcanons with the original, resulting to an overall pandemonium in my head before the story's even written. My apologies. In the meantime, here's the third chap. Not much of a turner but hey, better than nothing. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima. No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

**SCRIPT DRAGON**

**CHAPTER 3: Mission Hunt**

* * *

Levy's been standing in front of the request board for too long, she's gonna beat Nab's record soon. The guy's tough to beat though. Years of practice, she supposes.

"You okay, kid?" Nab asks her. Guess, he got weirded out, huh?

"Yeah. Just can't make up my mind," Levy replies with a timid smile.

She has to pick a job now. As in now. Right now. Why wouldn't these papers make any sense, anyway? Today, they're just a jumble of letters and numbers. For some reason, she can't stop feeling that something is amiss.

Since the guild's success at the games, they've been bombarded by requests which are kind of amazing, if not flattering. They need these jobs after all. Just two days ago, Natsu and Gray were requested for a mission by one of the Wizard Saints. It caused a ruckus since the two just had a three-day all-out brawl during their last job together. Nonetheless, they had no choice but to comply this time since the client specifically asked for them. They left by train yesterday morning accompanied by their usual team – Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Carla and Happy.

As a result, the air's been extra upbeat. Not wanting be outdone by Natsu's team, everybody else were running to and fro from the board, never leaving empty handed. Levy like to believe that her anxiety is just the air of excitement but somehow, she feels like there's more to it. For one thing, the Master's been awfully quiet, if not for the occasional fidgeting.

She's not that perceptive but she's far from blind either. It's been days since she first took notice of how the old man looked troubled. It was highly unusual for master Makarov to be that serious unless it means something is bothering him. But when Mira pointed it out, he just brushed away the questions, joking that old age might be catching up to him.

And then there's Gajeel. The dragon slayer's been grumpier than normal lately. Well, not that his temper is normal to say the least, but everyone can see how he's becoming a total meanie. Plus, he seems to be bent on avoiding her. His mindless razzing used to be a normal routine but there's no more of that these past days. He won't talk to her, even look at her. What's bothersome is he began acting like that right after the punishment night. Could it be her fault?

Levy shakes the idea away from her head. No, that's not possible. He's just being a jerk, that's all. She shouldn't be held accountable for his stupid mood swings.

"Levyyy!" a chorus of her name snaps her away from her thoughts. It came from the front door and she doesn't have to look back to see Jet and Droy running towards her. Composing herself, she faces her teammates.

"Hi, guys! You're late," she chimes in her usual cheery voice.

Droy's still panting when they reached her side so Jet fills up for him. "Sorry, Levy-chan. Droy had to grab breakfast. Again."

Levy giggles. "Breakfast? It's almost noon."

Droy groans a protest but changes his mind when he realizes where they are. He scans the papers in front of them. "Wow. That's a lot of requests. Have you picked one already, Levy-chan?"

She shakes her head. "Not yet. Wanna help me out?"

"Sure!" Jet says. "It's high time for Shadow Gear to kick butts again."

"Yeah. We haven't been in a mission together in a while." Droy agrees.

"Yeah, you basically left me behind the last time," Levy says a little indifferently. The two suddenly grow nervous at her remark, she can swear, she's able to see beads of sweat from their foreheads.

"N-No, it's not like we d-ditched you, Levy-chan..." Jet mumbles.

"W-We just wanted to try something on our own…" Droy adds.

"Is that why you followed Gajeel and Lily?"

Levy doesn't know the whole story. Mirajane just passed the gossip to her, which shocked her because it's very unlikely of her teammates to go on a mission without her, much less with the man they used to loathe. Everybody's getting weirder these days.

The two make weird faces, throwing awkward glances at each other. "Y-Yeah. We weren't any help though. Gajeel had to save us from angry tribesmen."

"It's kind of e-embarrassing, we know... We're sorry, Levy-chan."

Sighing softly, Levy gives them brightest smile she could pull afterwards. They needed something to uplift them after all. Somehow, she can understand their actions. They didn't mean harm by it. Besides, it's not like they never been with a mission with Gajeel before.

"It's okay, guys. Just don't run off into reckless stuff anymore, okay? So...which job should we go to?"

And with that, the gloom immediately leaves their faces and their attentions go back to the board. Levy can't help but laugh.

"Lemme pick one!" Droy begins fumbling through the stapled papers.

"No, idiot! I'm the one who gets to pick this time!"

"You did it the last time!"

"That was before the games. That's eons ago!"

Levy half-mindedly watches them fight as the other half of her attention is being pulled towards the direction of a dark familiar shape walking through the hall. It approaches the master at the bar who nods and the two disappears in the upstairs second floor.

Weird. The master rarely brings non-S-class mages to his office. Is Gajeel in trouble?

"Here. This one looks good." Jet points out a request about subduing a thief for 20,000 jewels.

"This is better. Let's find a treasure!"

"Are you nuts? That's too far from here."

"The reward is 500,000 jewels. We need the money, Jet. Besides, it says 'requires translator.' It's perfect for Levy."

"What do you think, Levy-chan?"

"H-Huh? What—did you say something?" Like a flicked switch, Levy snaps back to reality. She didn't even realize she was zoning out.

Droy and Jet both bend toward her with puzzled faces.

"Are you okay?" Jet asks. "You look...dunno, distracted?"

"What? No—no, of course not. Just a little hungry, I think. What were you saying again?"

"Oh, okay. Let's grab lunch after this, then," Droy suggested.

"You just ate. We're grabbing lunch." Jet makes an emphasis on 'we,' pointing to only himself and her. Then, he faces Levy again and points out a request form. "It's about this job. What do you think? Should we go?"

Levy leans forward to the paper and reads it out loud. "Find a relic belonging to a local church. Hmm. Sounds easy enough. I wonder what they need a translator for."

"Maybe, the relics got some old languages on it?"

Levy nods. "The relic might be a book or something with glyphs. This might work. Alright, we'll take this one."

"Mira! Shadow Gear's taking this job," Droy yells to the barmaid. The three of them approach her as Mira pulls out a huge book under the counter. She looks over to their paper.

"Hmm. Oak Town? My, that's quite a long way here. Are you sure you can manage?"

"Of course, it's just a treasure hunt."

"You two, take care of Levy, okay?"

The two throw her a smug look. "Of course, we will."

"Alright. Here." Mira hands them the request back. "I'll just have the master to contact the client to let them know you're coming and you're good to go."

Jet and Droy exchange high-fives while Levy analyzes in her head the stuff she should pack for the trip. Later that day, after the master made the call, Shadow Gear is all set for Oak Town. Levy has two bags of books she may need for translations and another one for her clothes and personal things. Thankfully, Jet and Droy are more than willing to carry them for her.

They'll be gone for several days, a week tops. This may be the longest time they'll spend on a single job. She just hopes everything will go well so they can get back soon enough.

Several days without an eyeful of that asymmetrically pierced punk. Just thinking about it saddens Levy. She wants to say goodbye, maybe convince him to see them off, but she can't find the dragon slayer anywhere. Lily says he's preparing for some mission as well.

This might be good though. It'll give her enough time and distance to think things over. She needs it after all. Some things are just plain confusing and it's not a good idea to confuse Levy McGarden.

* * *

The afternoon sun barely peeks through the second floor windows. Because of this, the master's office is basically in shadows. Gajeel leans uncomfortably on the bench by the wall. The whole setup unnerves him. It's his second trip to this room today bearing the same agenda. It's also the fifth this entire week. And if he's to be honest; he also hopes it's the last time.

Nothing's been up yet since the night he sensed the malicious magic. If the situation was the same as before, he'll charge for it head-on. Nothing beats a good dose of trouble. But time's different now. He got people to think for, to protect. They can't be dragged into the retaliation of a man bent to get back at him.

That is why he needed the master's careful assessment of the situation. They need plans and proper execution without endangering the whole guild. This situation doesn't have to be an all-out war.

The door opens and the small figure of the guild master enters. He's carrying a small spherical lacryma crystal meant for communication. After setting it aside on the table, the old man picks up a piece of paper from the drawer. He hands it over to Gajeel.

"That's the address," the master says.

Gajeel frowns at the paper. "The same one?"

"I suspect he's not hiding. He might be expecting you even."

The slayer scoffs. "He dropped the bait, anyway. It's my job to bite it."

"Are you sure you'll go alone?" the master asks him.

"Not alone. Lily's with me."

"That might not be enough. You two need backup."

"Nah. Too dangerous. I can't go full nuts if yer fairies are around."

The old man smirks knowingly. "You're one my fairies, brat. Don't forget that."

Gajeel just scoffs and looks away, his eyes landing on the glass window. Outside, the afternoon rays are beginning to fade in orange and yellow ribbons against the blue sky. Orange on blue. Like her head.

"They don't need to know, do they?" he asks afterwards.

"No. Unless you want the rest running off after you."

"Bet they will once they found out." Gajeel chuckles, thinking of how meddlesome this guild is; especially Salamander and his cronies. They know nothing but to put their noses in somebody else's business.

"You don't have to go on this alone, you know."

"No. I'll end this shit as silently as possible. No need to drag them down with me."

"I understand." The master nods mournfully, smiling ever-slightly, then turns serious. "You've come a long way, Gajeel. I never doubted it. I've always believed you'd find the right path."

He snorts in annoyance. "What hell does that have to do with this?"

"That does everything for you. Especially on this mission. Your about to face a part of your past—"

"—It doesn't matter. I knew this' gon' happen anyway."

Master Makarov just grins and walks down the direction of the door. With his back turned at him, the geezer speaks in a low gloomy tone, "Fairy Tail's about to face more adversaries far perilous than this. I can sense it. This is just the beginning."

"I know…"

He's lying if he doesn't say he's not looking forward for it. There'll always be dangers lurking around them. Maybe, they were asking for it. Maybe, that's just how a mage's life is. Maybe, some jackass writes their fates on a book, peppering it with skirmishes, making them writhe around for their lives.

Gajeel smirks inwardly. Levy would like that idea. She's always a good sport with weird story plots and ideas. Just look how many bizarre fantasy and horror books she owns. He'd been there only once but he saw that her room's basically a library, not a place where one sleeps and lives.

Her room—shit, why the hell is he even thinking about her room? Gajeel shakes the blue-haired mage out of his head. Now isn't the time to be imagining about stuff about her if he wants more focus. He has a battle to look forward to. The effort he exerted on avoiding her all week will all be in vain if he, himself, keeps on thinking about her.

Gajeel stands up and prepares to leave. "I'm going. Train's leaving early tomorrow."

"Since you want it this way, I trust you'll keep this discrete. We can't have unwanted attention, especially from the council."

"I did missions fer you before. That goes without saying, old man."

Master Makarov nods, then says. "I took the liberty on adding extra precautions, just in case."

Gajeel's eyebrows meet at the middle. "What d'ya mean?"

"You'll see. You better pack up, brat. Oak Town's a long way from here."

And the old man's gone, leaving a tad confused dragon slayer in the dark room behind, who just shrugs off the thought. Subtlety and puzzles aren't his specialty. He doubts he'll be using that 'extra precautions' anyway.


	4. Oak Town

**AN: **Been suffering from a terrible block for months now. Sucks to be me. Plus, the manga's plot escalated so much, I can't focus on my headcanons. Anyway, thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites! Never fails to motivate this impoverished soul. Lol.

For now, here's an update. It's a much shorter than the previous chapters but better than none at all. My apologies. Nonetheless, I hope you'll enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima. No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

**SCRIPT DRAGON**

**CHAPTER 4: Oak Town**

* * *

It's all too familiar. The hills, the castles, the huge tower in the middle of the town, even the pavements—Gajeel can close his eyes and run down the narrow roads and still find his way around. This is Oak Town after all. His former residence.

"Left!" Lily yells.

"I know!" he yells back and skids to the direction.

A dark figure glides past the shadowy streets of Oak. It moves rapidly, almost flawlessly, they barely catch up to it. It's a moonless night. No normal human can see anything. Unfortunately for the entity, Gajeel's far from normal and with him is an Exceed. No fucking way that hooded thing can escape their highly sharpened sense of hearing and smell.

"Damn it. These walls are pain in the neck." Lily dons a pair of wings to make up for the delay the maze-like partitions cause.

Gajeel stops. "Ya see it?"

"It's headed outside of town!"

"North Forest! Go!" Gajeel tells him and without more words, the cat heads to the direction of the forest.

They could've gone together but Lily will be faster without load. He'll just have to catch up to the cat. Which means he's going to need a shortcut.

_Shortcut, my ass._

Without another thought, Gajeel smashes his way through a series of brick walls. Parts of the walls spray all over the ground, leaving gaping holes big enough for three people to pass through. Oak citizens will be pissed off for sure.

Outside the walls is the Oak River snaking its way between the North forest and the town. He stops by the edge of the water and fixes his unruly mane behind the bandana he wore during the Grand Magic Games. Levy gave it to him before the tag battle against Sabertooth.

He cross the river and stops right outside the forest and sniffs the air. The Exceed's a little far but he's not on the move anymore. Lily must've engaged the enemy and currently on battle. He got to hurry and join the fray then. Lily's an adept fighter but he's fighting shades. No one else knows how to fight those fuckers better than the guy who used to fight alongside with them. The cat needs him.

Halfway through a thick copse, a familiar scent stops him from his tracks. He pauses and sniffs the air again. _Is this some kind of a trick?_

Baffled, he turns toward where the scent is coming from. No. It can't be. Why would she be here? He inhales deeply, taking in the scent, denying that it's really her, that it's just something that smells like her.

Peppermint. With dust and ink and something else that's unique of her.

Damn it. He's not hallucinating, isn't he?

Two other separate scents come up and Gajeel confirms that she, along with her two annoying fanboys, are really here. He grits his teeth in annoyance. Nice timing, really. What the hell are they doing here at Oak Town in this time of the night? Shadow Gear didn't follow them, did they? Those two idiots aren't surprising. They did follow him before on missions. But Shorty?

Now, this is what he calls a fucking distraction. Which way should he take? Lily needs him to fight but he can't just shake off the sharp stench of blood on the Shadow Gear's direction. Cursing fervently, Gajeel dashes to his right.

Slashing the bushes using his tetsuryūken, he makes his way out of the thicket. He just hopes Lily can handle himself a little longer without his help. There's no time to think. It's Levy, for fucks sake.

_Just make sure it's not your blood, you idiot._

Not too long then, he comes upon a small clearing surrounded by thick foliage. Under a huge oak, he find three figures slumping on the ground. Two are lying on their backs while the third seems to be fixing a tourniquet on an arm of one of them.

A surge of unexplainable feeling pounds his temple. The sight of three bloody shapes and a huge tree… damn it. All of the sudden, it feels like Magnolia Park all over again. Only this time, he's not driven by cruelty.

He slashes off the last bush blocking his way and rushes towards the smallest figure under the tree. Startled by the noise, it jumps up and—

"Solid Script: Stone!"

A large chunk of rock goes flying and Gajeel only has a little time to duck. It misses him by an inch. Another one comes for his head and he blocks it with his iron club. Bits of broken stone sprays all over him.

"Shit! What the fuck, Levy!"

The little mage freezes. She still got her arms raised for another spell when a hint of recognition, then confusion registers on her face.

"Gajeel?"

"Who else?" he snorted, putting his arms down from his face.

"What are you doing here?" she asks; her voice too loud and too alarmed.

"No. What are _you _doing here?" He asks back and points out to her, then to her teammates. The two are still unconscious.

Sighing, Levy puts down her hands. The wild look on her face dissipates. Gajeel walks towards them and sees that all three are badly beaten.

"What hell happened here?"

Gajeel can't stop cursing inside his head as he stares at her disheveled form. Her dress is in tatters. Her headband is missing. And most of all, she's bleeding. A rich flow of red oozes out of her left leg. There are bruises everywhere. Bumps. Gashes. Wounds. Damn it. Damn it all to hell.

"Who the fuck did this to you?"

Levy just stares at him, like she can't believe it's really him. She lets out a croaky laugh before sinking down to her knees. Gajeel rushes to her just in time to keep her from falling on her face.

"Shorty!" he calls her but like the two, she's out cold. Whatever energy she had left, she already used it when she threw two solid scripts at him.

Gajeel carefully lays her beside the other fairies. The grim look on his face turns darker as he pulls off the bandana on his forehead to wrap around her bleeding leg. Before he leaves the three, he puts up iron bars around them as protection.

Whoever the assholes stupid enough to hurt his bookworm—they're so fucking getting it. They messed with the wrong guild. Moreover, they messed with the wrong mage.


End file.
